I had the amazing privilege of being able to interview the rugby play John Gallagher. John was considered to be the best rugby player in his time of playing rugby and he lives on my road! He is no longer a rugby player, but when he was a rugby player he played for the All Blacks which is a New Zealand team. So in this interview I got to take a look at what it was like for John Gallagher and why he choose to play for the All Blacks and not England.

 

  • How did rugby find you? Were you always interested in the sport?

 

Well rugby found me, because I went to a grammar school in Blackheath called St Joseph’s Academy. I always used to play football all the way though primary school. But they only played one winter sport at St Joseph’s and that was rugby. So I didn’t go looking for it, was more thrust upon me. I actually did not like it to start off with, because all I wanted to do was play football. I played rugby for 4 or 5 years and it was only till I got to about 16, I actually started to really understand it and to enjoy it.

 

  • Explain why you played for New Zealand All Blacks? Even though you were born in south east London. Surely you should have played for England

 

I had a friend at school who was two years older than me, in my brothers’ year. He went to Wellington in New Zealand, just for a season to play rugby for a club side. The club side where looking for goal kickers because the team was very much a Polynesian team which had Tongan and Fijian players. They just wanted to run and pass and hit and tackle people hard, but they did not really concentrate on their kicking skills because that was not part of their culture. So the club side in Wellington they got a friend of mine over a year earlier and he started kicking the goals for them. They wanted him to go back the following year, but Tony decided to stay in England. So he was asked by the club to find somebody to take his place, I bumped into him at a friend’s party and I ended up going out there by myself in March 1984. The whole idea was just to go for 6 months and then to go back to England.

 

  • How did you find it being transferred to one of the best teams in the world? Did you feel pressure on having to do well, on your opening game against France?

 

Well it was a series of events that happened, I went out there in 1984 and things went really well for my club side. Then I got picked for Wellington (which is the provincial team). We were one of the top provinces in the country. Obviously in New Zealand rugby was their number one sport, so I was getting quite a lot of coverage in the press, media and television. I was playing against the top All Black’s at the time as well, in the other club games but also in the other provincial games. So when I came to get picked for the All Blacks on the tour to France in 1986, I had already established myself as a good player. But I never really entertained the prospect of ever being picked for the All Blacks till I actually saw my name selected, then it started to sink in, then I realized how much pressure I’d put yourself under. Every young boys dream in New Zealand and girl now, is to play for the national side, play rugby for their country. The fact that I got picked as somebody from Lewisham to get picked for the All Blacks, all of a sudden I realized, goodness this is a huge privilege and a huge honor, you just could not afford to let anybody down. So it was a lot of pressure

 

  • What do you say to the people or the magazines that call you the best player in the world?

 

Well what happened was I played for the All Blacks between 1986 to 1989. In 1989 I got voted New Zealand Rugby Player Of The Year, then we came on tour. During that season I played well against Australia, against Argentina and against France in New Zealand. Then we went on a tour to Canada, then Wales and then Ireland and then we finished of with a game at Twickenham against the Barbarians. I played all of the test matches. At the end of the season I was awarded the International Player Of The Year award. That was a great honor, huge pressure to try to play up to the standard of the International Player Of The Year.

 

  • How did you pass your passion for the sport down to the children, during your 16 years of teaching at Colfe’s school, in South East London?

 

Well apart from those initial years when I was trying to learn the game, ever since the age of 15, 16 I loved the game and really enjoyed it. What I also love about rugby as well is that it is a really global community, it does not matter where you go there is always somebody who knows a little bit about rugby. They have all heard of the All Blacks. Also as well it’s just a really brilliant club to be a member of, the world wide rugby club, because everyone knows somebody. I think it’s wonderful to be part of a sport that you actually enjoy playing and all my family have enjoyed the experience. I love passing my knowledge of the game onto the players I coach. I have real enthusiasm and passion for the game.

 

  • What career might have you pursued if you had not been playing rugby at such a high level?

 

When I was playing rugby for the All Blacks, the game was amateur so it was not full time job. I had to work, so I have worked all the way through. I actually wanted to be a PE teacher, so if I could not play a professional sport I would want to be a PE teacher. But the way things worked out in New Zealand, I needed a job, so I joined the New Zealand police. When I returned to England I played professional Rugby League for Leeds. I also completed a degree in sports science. I was very fortunate that I was playing the sport that I love but also when I was at colfe’s doing the career that I wanted to do as well.

 

 

 

 

  • What makes South East London home to you? Why do you live there still today?

 

It makes it home because I was born here in Lewisham and I went to school in Lewisham and my wife Anita she is from Lewisham. My two sons they live here as well so that’s what makes it home. But also as well, I love London I think it is the best city in the world!

 

  • What was your greatest moment when playing professional rugby?

 

I have been very fortunate to have a lot of fond memories but, probably the best one was winning the world cup 1987 for the All Blacks.

 

by Luke Boyton-Matthews, Farringtons school